The British Gas energy saver initiatives continue with news that they are to give British schools £15 million worth of free solar panels.

The energy giant has said it will not only donate, but also install, free of charge solar panels in around 750 schools. This is effectively a donation worth between £20,000 and £40,000 to every school. Once installed, each school within the scheme will then be able to generate its own free, ‘green’ electricity. And this means they should be able to reduce their own individual annual electricity bills by about 20%.

Overall, British Gas say that combined, the schools’ panels should be able to create in the region of £1.3 million every year for the next 25 years. This money will be used to invest in installing more solar panels for more schools, increasing the number of schools participating to well over 1,000.

And this particular British Gas energy saver initiative is not only about saving money, but also saving carbon emissions. It’s thought that this scheme will reduce emissions by around 1,500 tonnes every year. This is the same as taking 400 cars off the road.

Managing Director of British Gas, Phil Bentley, said:
“This is the biggest investment of its kind in solar technology for our nation’s schools, which will help them cut both their carbon emissions and their electricity bills – as well as learn about renewable energy in a hands-on way.

“The electricity generated by these schools will help pay for the scheme to be extended to even more schools throughout the country, which is great news for school leaders, parents and pupils who are all looking for ways to save money during these tough economic times.”

The new government schools minister Nick Gibb said:
“This is a very generous offer and I’m sure many schools will feel they can benefit from solar panels. Cutting down on energy costs and reducing carbon emissions are absolutely the right thing to do. It’s a valuable lesson for pupils that we can all help to use energy sparingly, and where possible, generate it from sustainable or renewable resources.”

Every school taking part in this British Gas energy saver initiative will be given a smart meter. This will tell the school’s pupils and teaching staff the amount of energy being saved. What’s more, the energy giant will also be providing Generation Green lesson plans which will help children understand the main ideas behind renewable energy.

Schools interested in being a part of the scheme should register for an application form.

Guest Article by Neil Camp